Fashion exhibitions are proving to be successful opportunities for many museums all over the world, but they are also allowing many visitors to discover hidden gems surprisingly preserved in rarely opened archives.
"A Century of Style: Costume and Colour 1800-1899", currently on at Glasgow's Kelvingrove Museum features for example 19th-century clothing from Glasgow Museums's collection of European costume.
Though a compact exhibition, especially if it is compared to the more extensive and monumental events you may find in museums mainly dedicated to fashion, "A Century of Style" features rarely seen yet meticulously preserved womenswear, menswear and children's clothing.
All the pieces on display - from delicate embroidered cottons and elaborate woven silks to beautiful wedding dresses and opulent evening gowns - are arranged thematically by colour, the leading theme of the event.
Colours are interpreted from political, economic, social and technological points of view: a Scottish word and shade opens the event - "dreich", a term that defines dull, overcast, drizzly, cold and misty weather.
Because of black and white photgraphy, many people think that clothing during the 1800s came in dull shades such as black, brown or grey, but there were a few colours available via techniques used for creating patterned fabrics that suited different incomes.
Red costumes from the menswear wardrobe remind visitors that this was a male colour in the early 1800s, as proved by a men's hunting coat in a bright shade of scarlet wool broadcloth (1841-43, worn by George Houston of Johnstone Castle); a more delicate shade of red, pink, is represented instead by a girl's dress in wool (1857).
A stunning going-away dress with velvet inserts, elaborate embroideries and decorative motifs around the buttons (1899) made by London court-dressmaker Madame Hayward and worn by Elizabeth Holms-Kerr, daughter of a wealthy Glaswegian stockbrocker, invites visitors to consider the power of blue, a very popular colour since it symbolised fidelity.
White became the norm for wedding dresses after it was worn by Queen Victoria and in the exhibition there is a wedding dress made for Jessie Morrison Inglis in 1878 (the mother of Scottish engineer, innovator and inventor of the mechanical television John Logie Baird).
Sewing machines, aniline dyes and paper patterns revolutionised the fashion industry at the time, introducing the possibility of mass production of clothing, while magazines helped spreading new trends.
The exhibition also looks at key aspects of the fashion industry linked to these themes, giving visitors insights on how clothes were made and where they were sold.
The inclusion of a women’s bodice with mauveine trims (1858-60), illustrates for example the discovery of the world's first synthetic dye, which was coloured purple, meaning that the choice of colour was no longer dependent on budget.
A black French jet beaded dress by Parisian Madame Merlot-Larchevêque is juxtaposed to designs sold by Glasgow dressmakers and at local department stores, including Hunter, Simpson & Young, creators of a purple velvet dress with voluminous leg-of-mutton sleeves (1895), to show how the latest French trends and fashions were adopted in other countries.
The most interesting thing about this exhibition is actually its focus on the little known local history of fashion: during the 1800s Glasgow was a major retail centre and this is celebrated in the event via a silk and cotton dress by R Simpson and Sons of Glasgow, a five floor department store on the corner of Jamaica Street and Argyle Street.
The ladies' department sold fabrics and haberdashery as well as complete costumes, mantles and jackets. The dress (1883-85) was worn by Annie, wife of the founder's son, Robert Kirk Simpson.
In the 19th century, the Strathclyde area was a leading textile manufacturing region and this is proved by an elaborate dress in a Paisley print with deep green velvet cuffs and collar. This design is a tribute to the Paisley weavers and manufacturers, remembered also via the fabrics on display on the museum walls.
A wide range of accessories - including jewellery, bonnets, Kashmir shawls, purses and parasols - completes "A Century of Style". Embroidered silk and leather slippers (1830-40) by J Macneille, Ayr, remind visitors that there was a time when there was no difference between left and right foot since shoes were made on a basic last; while a bamboo and silk bag (an early version of Gucci's bamboo bags?), contains a note inside stating that it was given to the recipient by her aunt in 1886.
This is actually another unique point of this exhibition that features in some cases references and stories about the people who owned and wore the clothes on display.
The exhibition is the culmination of more than 3 years of work led by a small team of specialists to painstakingly research and preserve over 40 outfits, and the visitors' feedback has been so far rather good.
In January the members of The Phoenix Country and Western Club, Yoker, even decided to attend the event dressed in Victorian outfits, almost as a tribute to the fashions and trends celebrated in "A Century of Style".
There are currently no long term displays of this part of the costume collection in any of the Glasgow Museums, and since "A Century of Style" seems to have sparked renewed interest not just in costume and clothing, but in the local textile and retail history as well, maybe the time has come for the local authorities to take stock of what's in their archives and dedicate to gowns, uniforms, accessories and jewellery a bit of space as well.
There may be plans, though, towards such as decision: the event is actually accompanied by a publication entitled Introducing European Costume written by Rebecca Quinton, Glasgow Museums' curator of European Costume and Textiles, the first - and hopefully not the last - publication to provide an overview of Glasgow Museums' European Costume Collection.
"A Century of Style: Costume and Colour 1800-1899", Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Argyle Street, Glasgow, UK, until 14th February 2016.
Image credits for this post
All images © CSG CIC Glasgow Museums Collection
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